Religion and Ethnic Groups
Rodger Covino
ETH/125
Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper
My religion of choice for this paper is Buddhism. Unlike most other religions, Buddhism does not have a savior or an omnipresent God like Christianity. The relationship between a follower, or disciple, and the Buddha is the same as a teacher has with his or her students. Buddhists place more emphasis on self-discipline and self-reliance rather than having blind faith. Buddhists are accepting of all other religions and faiths. They are all about reasoning, understanding, and exploration. Where Christianity seeks to convert other religions to their own, Buddhists do not. Buddhists believe in Karma; Karma is the belief in rebirth as a potentially endless series of worldly existences. In America, we have come to know karma by the phrase, “What goes around comes around.” Even though every American is not a disciple of Buddha, they still have a sense of good and evil. They feel that good deeds beget good deeds and that is usually enough to make most people think twice before they act. This way of thinking is a primary teaching of Buddha.
Even though Buddhists are peaceful and reserved, prejudice and discrimination still haunt them. In 2006 the Chung Tai Buddhist Group applied to build a worship and meditation center in the city of Walnut California. They were denied by the City Planning Commission due to the fact that it would cause excess noise and traffic. However, the same planning commission approved a plan for the Catholic Church to build on the same plot of land. To me, that is a clear cut case of discrimination against the Buddhists. While looking into the practices and believes of Buddhism, I have developed a different opinion of them. As most of what I thought I knew came from media spins and my own observations, my views were more than slightly distorted. During my research I learned that they do not actually worship Buddha as a God, instead they learn from him and follow his teachings and improve
ETH/125
Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper
My religion of choice for this paper is Buddhism. Unlike most other religions, Buddhism does not have a savior or an omnipresent God like Christianity. The relationship between a follower, or disciple, and the Buddha is the same as a teacher has with his or her students. Buddhists place more emphasis on self-discipline and self-reliance rather than having blind faith. Buddhists are accepting of all other religions and faiths. They are all about reasoning, understanding, and exploration. Where Christianity seeks to convert other religions to their own, Buddhists do not. Buddhists believe in Karma; Karma is the belief in rebirth as a potentially endless series of worldly existences. In America, we have come to know karma by the phrase, “What goes around comes around.” Even though every American is not a disciple of Buddha, they still have a sense of good and evil. They feel that good deeds beget good deeds and that is usually enough to make most people think twice before they act. This way of thinking is a primary teaching of Buddha.
Even though Buddhists are peaceful and reserved, prejudice and discrimination still haunt them. In 2006 the Chung Tai Buddhist Group applied to build a worship and meditation center in the city of Walnut California. They were denied by the City Planning Commission due to the fact that it would cause excess noise and traffic. However, the same planning commission approved a plan for the Catholic Church to build on the same plot of land. To me, that is a clear cut case of discrimination against the Buddhists. While looking into the practices and believes of Buddhism, I have developed a different opinion of them. As most of what I thought I knew came from media spins and my own observations, my views were more than slightly distorted. During my research I learned that they do not actually worship Buddha as a God, instead they learn from him and follow his teachings and improve